Trump administration drafts legal pact for mining the moon

They want to drill the Moon.

The Trump administration is drafting a legal blueprint for mining on the moon under a new U.S.-sponsored international agreement to be named the Artemis Accords, Reuters reports, citing people familiar with the proposed pact.

The Artemis Accords, named after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's new Artemis moon program, propose safety zones" that would surround future moon bases to prevent damage or interference from rival countries or companies operating in close proximity.

The pact also aims to provide a framework under international law for companies to own the resources they mine, the sources said.

In the coming weeks, U.S. officials plan to formally negotiate the accords with space partners such as Canada, Japan, and European countries, as well as the United Arab Emirates, opening talks with countries the Trump administration sees as having like-minded" interests in lunar mining.

Russia, a major partner with NASA on the International Space Station, won't be an early partner in these accords, the sources said, as the Pentagon increasingly views Moscow as hostile for making threatening" satellite maneuvers toward U.S. spy satellites in Earth orbit.

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Exclusive: Trump administration drafting 'Artemis Accords' pact for moon mining - sources